


Constance

by WishaDream



Series: Things I wrote in Middle/High school [9]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Character Death, Friendship, Other, Teen Angst, Time Travel, and in a folder i never would have looked in, i was specifically looking for those one to post but couldn't recall the name, inspired by now and then, of course it was titled the characters name, that movie with christina ricci and rosie o'donnel, took me forever to find this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:07:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24811300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishaDream/pseuds/WishaDream
Summary: Years after Nicole's friend Constance went missing she shows up in her house, the same age as when she disappeared.
Series: Things I wrote in Middle/High school [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1794586





	Constance

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't even remember writing half of these but I remember enjoying writing them so I thought I'd share some of them in case someone got some joy out of reading them. I didn't really have the time to rewrite any of them, some I know I've gone over several times to make better, some I think are the first draft, but again, more for entertainment than anything. Hopefully you'll enjoy them (unsure grimace.)

Story Four  
Constance

Lightning flashed outside the cliff side house, lighting up the windows so that they shone like silver. The two story house was located in the middle of the woods, the nearest neighbor located twenty miles away. Behind the house grew a forest of trees that stretched back for a hundred feet before ending at a sudden drop off a cliff. The cliff went down to a row of sharp rocks where ocean waves lapped.   
The owner of the home, Nicole Jameson, peered out the windows of her home towards the carport. She frowned as she stepped back. "Where are they?"  
Nicole, a woman in her thirties, padded across the tiled floor in her bare feet. Though her home was built with a modernistic type architecture it was furnished eclectically, reflecting the time period she had grown up in. Even when she was younger her room had been decorated as if she had been born in the seventies as she had always had an obsession with the past.   
Though her home didn't look futuristic with its eclectic furniture her home was equipped with a state of art security system which resembled something out of a sci-fi movie, the best money could buy. Though her job as a psychic consultant for the police didn't pay that much she had a high paying TV spot on cable which allowed her to own such a luxurious home.   
As a psychic she usually wore more colorful dresses with her hair pulled up in a head scarf to go with her gypsy-like persona, today however she was dressed more comfortably in a light blue t-shirt with worn blue jeans. Her dark orange hair, which was usually curled for her job, was pulled back in a loose pony-tail. She was all ready for a nice relaxing day with her guest. If they ever get here.  
Back in her kitchen she found her pot of water was starting to boil over the edge. As she stirred its contents she stared out the window as another flash of light pierced the sky followed by a thunderous rumble that shook the home. She grabbed on to the counter, surprised by the sudden shaking. When she let go her hand shook slightly as she tried to calm it by gripping the spoon tightly as she stirred the pot's water. The memory of a night long ago flashed through her mind--the lightning reminding her of the lightning that had flashed so long ago. Shaking her head furiously, she forced the memory away before her eyes had a chance to sting with it.   
The doorbell rang, helping her distract herself, as she walked to the entrance. Something caught her eye and she turned to look. A calendar screen displayed the current month with that date circled. Her hand shook as she let out a slow breath and ran her fingers through her hair. Though she had forgotten for a moment what day it was she was reminded again--it was the anniversary of that day she wanted to forget. No matter how hard she tried to forget every year on that day, something always happened to remind her.  
The bell rang again, bringing her back to the present. Walking to the door, she opened it with a smile as she greeted the two waiting on the other side, "It's about time, Amanda."  
A woman, also in her thirties, with dark brown hair but in a short business woman fashion and a sharp looking pant suit, stood on the porch. She looked apologetic as she said, "Sorry, Brady couldn't find his game."  
The brown haired woman pushed a boy who looked very much like her with the same shade of hair, forward as he distractedly played on a handheld game console. Nicole looked at the boy, Brady, who had his game visor pulled down in front of his eyes as his hand moved a stylus across a game pad he held in his other hand. She reached over and lifted the visor slightly as she smiled at him, "Nice to see you."  
He smiled back as he looked around as if he hadn't realized they'd arrived, "Hey, Aunt Nicole."  
Brady had just turned fourteen that summer and would be starting his first year of high school that coming fall. He was wearing designer clothes, their names boldly printed on the front of his shirt and along the side of his pants. His dark brown hair was cut to medium short length with his bangs grown out over his eyes. He swept them to the side as he lowered his game visor.  
"You really think I'm going to be so boring that you'll need that?" asked Nicole as she tapped the visor.  
He closed down his game and put it in his bag as he shook his head and replied, "No. But it's better safe than sorry."  
She nodded as she pointed to the metal open back stairs nearby, "You can take your stuff up to your room if you like."  
"Thanks." He took his duffel bag from his mom and headed towards the stairs. His sneakers made a light tapping sound on the metal of the stairs as he hurried up to the second floor.  
Amanda watched her son leave then turned back to her friend. "Are you sure this is okay, Nicky?"  
Nicole nodded. "Of course. I love having Brady over."  
"Thanks. It's a big help. We shouldn't be back any later than Sunday evening. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything."  
"I'm sure I won't. You two have fun now."  
Amanda chuckled. "We'll try. It is a business trip."  
Nicole winked as if knowing something her friend didn't, "Sure it is."  
Brady came doesn't the stairs and his mom hugged him, "Okay, I'm going now, honey."  
"Alright, mom. Be safe."  
Amanda waved as she closed the door behind her. The two heard her car start up a short while later and then drive off.  
"What do you want to do?" asked Nicole as she looked to the boy. Though he was still young he had grown greatly since the start of the summer. Before she'd had to tilt her head down to look at him, now they were almost equal in height.  
"I'm hungry," he replied with a smile.  
Nicole let out a distressed cry as she remembered the food cooking on the stove. She ran into the kitchen where the water and its contents were spilling over onto the stove making a hissing sound as they hit the hot burner. Hurriedly she moved the pot off the heat but by then it was too late. Her shoulders slumped as she let out a resigned sigh. "There goes that plan. Pizza okay?"  
Brady smiled and nodded.   
She picked up the phone. "What do you want on it?"

  

Amanda Adams looked at the man in the driver's seat. Though they were just going on an overnight business trip together he was looking a little nervous as he tightly clutched the steering wheel.  
"Is everything okay, Greg?"  
The man smiled, his smile twitching slightly as he tried to look calm, "Of course, why wouldn't it be?"  
Greg Thompson and her were lawyers at the same law firm where they had worked together for years. He was one of the firm's best lawyers, second only to her. This had caused a rivalry between the two for the first year they had worked together till they had worked a case together. The long nights working together had forced them to get to know each other and by the end of it a relationship had started. Amanda knew Greg hoped to one day start a family law firm run by him and his wife and their children but she didn't have such dreams. She had already been married once to Brady's father. Though the marriage had started out fine at first, things had driven them apart in the end and now he lived with another woman in Toledo and she was left to raise Brady by herself.   
Though Greg was a good man she knew she just wasn't ready for anything more serious at the moment. Not with things still left unresolved with her and...Her mind trailed off as she looked down at the case folder in her hand. She had almost forgotten what day it was today--had almost completely gone through a whole day without remembering for the first time in twenty-three years. Between her and Nicole she had always been the more level-headed--had been able to put up a shell around herself to keep herself safe when things got hard. Brady's Father had been the first to get through that shell she had put up in high school when they met in college. But the shell had proved to strong to completely break through and eventually he had given up. Though Greg seemed a little more persistent she knew in the end he'd give up too. No matter how hard she tried to forget and moved on she never would. As the storm clouds flashed in the side mirror of the car behind them she was reminded of that night. The last night before her heart became closed off.

  

Brady happily munched on the crust of his sixth slice of pizza. Since his mother had left he'd changed out of the name brand clothes into a pair of ratty old jeans and a shirt with a silly image of a rubber ducky wearing shades. Though he didn't care about designer labels and would have rather worn shirts sporting images of his favorite bands or with funny sayings he wore the more expensive clothes for his mother. He knew how much his mother loved shopping for him and since she had no one else to do it for he allowed her the joy of picking out his wardrobe. For now it wasn't hurting anyone and he knew how happy it made her to provide for him.  
He set down his empty plate as he let out a slow belch before leaning back in his chair. "That was good. Thanks, Aunt Nicole."  
She smiled as she set down her own plate. "What do you want to do now?"  
He grinned. "You're the psychic, you tell me."  
Though some would call it a trick Brady knew that Nicole's psychic ability was real. That was how she made most of her money by telling people their future. She had just woken up one day with the ability to see people's futures and pasts--though Amanda told him Nicole had always had a sixth sense about things even when they were younger. Touching objects brought visions like images on a TV screen. Focusing on a person's aura brought flashes of scenes about their past or future. Nicole could answer anyone's question. Though Brady could tell by the crease she often got in her brow that there was one thing that no matter how hard she tried she could never get the answer to.  
"Alright, let me see." Nicole reached out and took his hand as she closed her eyes. "You want to...explore my attic." She sighed as she released his hand. "I don't know what you find so exciting about that place."  
Brady suspected she did in fact know the exact reason but he played coy as he said, "I don't know. I guess I just like learning about the past. You guys did a lot of cool things back then."  
"They may be exciting for you now, but back then they weren't all that amazing."  
"Can we go?"  
She nodded slowly as she rose. "Fine. Let's go."  
At the top of the metal stairs and to the right was a small door which Nicole opened. From the door rose a short flight of wooden stairs which led up to the attic. Brady jumped up ahead of her, heading straight for a box marked "videos" which he started to pull out. Ever since he'd been eight and had first visited the attic, a room which had been off limits till he'd snuck in, he visited the room every chance he got. Nicole had been upset at first but after they'd started going through the contents of the room together she'd started enjoying reminiscing with him.  
"We can't check this box yet," said Brady as he dug through the videos. "Can we watch these?" He held up a tape marked "June 23, 2006. Birthday. "Whose birthday is this exactly? Mom's is in May and yours is in August."  
She took the tape from him, smiling sadly at it as her eyes started to glass over. "It's all of ours. We used to have a joint birthday in the summer."  
Brady didn't notice the pain in her voice, too distracted by the contents of the cassette, as he excitedly asked, "Can we watch it?"  
Outside the home thunder rumbled ominously as the storm raged on. Safe inside the home neither noticed as the spacing between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder grew shorter apart. 

  

At the hotel Amanda and Greg checked into separate rooms with adjoining doors. As Amanda unpacked she stopped for a moment at the windows of the hotel room. Outside she could still see the storm clouds as they hung over the area where Nicole's home was located.   
A knock at the adjoining door brought her attention back to what she was doing. She opened the door as Greg smiled on the other side. "You done unpacking? Want to get something to eat?"  
Back on the bed her bag was still lying half-unpacked. She looked back from it to the man who was smiling invitingly as she leaned on the doorframe.   
"Yes, I'm ready. I'll meet you in the hall." He nodded as she closed the door. At the door her hand paused on the doorknob as she turned and looked back out the window. The storm had been far away then too. She hadn't even realized how close the storm had grown till the rain was splattering against her window like bullets of paint.   
When she finally opened the door of the hotel Greg looked worried as he noted her pale face. "Is everything okay?"  
She smiled as she took his arm. "Fine."  
The touch of her hand on his arm made him forget his worry over her complexion as he rested his hand on top of her arm and led her down the hallway. He didn't even notice when they passed another window and Amanda strained to look out. Her other hand shook and she shoved it into the pocket of her pant suit.  
She smiled casually, trying to force away the memories as she queried, "I wonder what kind of food they serve here." Her shell was up full force and she wasn't about to let anything penetrate it--not even the memories of a storm long ago.

  

Nicole felt a sharp pain in her throat as she stared at the tape, the words on the sticker blurring as her eyes filled with tears. Ignoring the pain as she blinked the tears away, she smiled. "Sure. I haven't watched these in forever."  
Brady cheered as he scurried down the stairs ahead of her.  
"How fitting," thought Nicole as she headed down after him. On the very anniversary of that day they would be watching the tape of the last time they had all been together.  
Brady was already sitting cross legged on her couch as she walked into the living room. She hooked up the old video player then inserted the tape.  
"Which birthday was this?" asked Brady as she sat beside him.  
"This was my thirteenth birthday--your mom's fourteenth. They were both a year older than me."  
Brady rocked back and forth with excitement. "Cool. She was my age in this."  
Nicole started the tape as she nodded. "Yes. Just about."  
The tape started up and the image of a smiling girl with maroon colored hair waved at them. Brady's smile widened as his eyes glued themselves to the screen.   
"So Constance how old are you today?" asked a male voice behind the camera.  
The girl smiled as she held up three fingers and replied in a baby voice, "I'm four." She stuck out her tongue playfully, "You know how old I am, Mr. Jameson."  
The cameraman laughed. "Yes. But for the future viewer's sake."  
"Just show them the signs then." The girl twirled as she motioned up to the large sign declaring the words, "Happy Birthday Nicole, Amanda, and Constance!" "It's practically plastered everywhere."  
"Don't be a nuisance, dear," called a woman from off camera.  
The red haired girl sighed. "Fine. I'm going to be fourteen. In like six months."  
The camera turned to a young Nicole whose hair was more of a strawberry blonde then. Her hair was done up in two pig tails and she wore a frilled pink dress. She smiled as she waved at the cameraman, "Hi, daddy."  
"Hi, honey. How old are you now?"  
"Thirteen and I'm hoping one of these presents is a car."  
He laughed. "Not for this birthday you're not."  
Nicole stuck out her lower lip in a pout. The girl from earlier came over as she put her arm around Nicole's shoulder. "Don't listen to him. Doesn't that little box over there look like the size for car keys?"  
Nicole perked up as her father groaned. "Please don't say that, Constance."  
The camera turned off then powered up again this time focusing on a young Amanda. At that time she had resembled her son even more, before her face had lost its baby fat and her cheek bones had become more prominent.   
"Alright Amanda, it's time for the really hard hitting questions," said a female voice from the other side of the camera.  
Amanda frowned as she turned to face the camera, "Oh no, who gave Constance the camera?"  
"You can't avoid me, Miss Adams. The public will have their answers."  
The brunette sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Fine. What do you want to know?"  
"Are you and Billy Conners really going out?"  
Amanda gasped as she eyes widened. "Where did you hear that?"  
"So you are going out," Constance's grin could be heard in her voice.  
"I said no such thing," huffed Amanda as she cross her arms and looked away.  
"Come on, Miss Adams, the public must know. Have you two kissed yet?"  
Amanda blushed as her head spun around to look directly at the camera. "No!"  
"Hah, I knew it. What was it like? Is he a wet kisser?"  
In the living room Nicole looked over at Brady as he snickered. "I've never seen my mom like that."  
Nicole smiled affectionately as she said, "Yes. Constance had a way of flustering the cool Miss Adams."  
"I'm not answer these questions," snapped Amanda back on the TV as she turned and strutted off.  
The camera cut off for a moment then came back this time focusing on Nicole.  
"Miss Jameson, Miss Jameson!" called Constance as the camera shook while she ran to the orange haired girl.  
Nicole turned giving her a lovely smile as she said, "Hey Constance, what's up?"  
Constance held out a noise maker like a microphone to her as she asked, "Everyone wants to know, where do you get those interesting outfits of yours?"  
Nicole spun around in her dress so that it billowed around her. "My mom makes them. Do you like it?"  
"I can't say it's my taste, but it does look good on you."  
Nicole curtsied. "Thank you."  
"Also, we'd like to know what you think of the rumors about Amanda and Billy going out."  
Nicole's hand went to her chest as she dramatically replied, "I think it's atrocious. Billy is way too good for Amanda."  
The camera shook up and down as Constance nodded her head. "Quite right."  
"Hey, cut that out!" called Amanda. "Give me that camera!"  
"Aah, run!" The camera shifted down facing the ground as it shook while Constance and Nicole ran away.  
The camera came back on as the guests sand "Happy Birthday" to the three girls who were standing around a large cake with three tiers. Constance pushed against the back of Amanda's head as if threatening to plant her face in the cake. Beside them Nicole was hiding a laugh behind her hands.  
On the couch Nicole felt her throat tighten with tears as her eyes threatened to spill over. Excusing herself with a claim to need to use the restroom, she headed upstairs. Out on the second floor wrap around porch she gazed out at the rain. There was no wind and the rain came down in steady sheets as lightning flashed, illuminating the shadows in the trees.   
Though she tried to not let it get to her it was the same every year. It still hurt as much as the very first day. The wound hadn't healed at all. Even now she could only see Constance as a kid running around with a mischievous grin. No matter how many times her and Amanda tried to imagine the girl as an adult they couldn't. In their minds she would always be six months away from turning fourteen.   
For a long time she had tried to lock away the memories of her friend but eventually everything had been brought the day Brady had brought down a picture of the red haired girl from the attic. His question had been innocent as he'd asked who the girl was who was in every picture with his favorite aunt and mother. At first she had just told him she was some girl, but as he found more and more evidence of their closeness she had finally told him.  
Constance Hope was her name. She had joined their school when both Nicole and Amanda were in the fourth grade. Though the two girls had been going to school together since first grade they hadn't become friends till Constance came along. She had brought them together, Nicole with her strange home made outfits and Amanda with her cold and cut off nature. She had opened them both up and they'd been inseparable from that moment on. They had had many grand adventures together even with Amanda acting as the voice of reason to try and keep them out of trouble. But thanks to Constance who never listened, a lot of Amanda's advice fell on deaf ears and the three found themselves getting into several scrapes over the years.  
In the summer Constance had suggested the girls have a group birthday so it would be as if they shared the same birth date. She had always come up with little plans and schemes like that, being both a bundle of fun and of trouble. She had been the person who had first suggested Amanda should go into law as she believed her friend to have the shark's instincts required for the job along with a very persuasive personality. Even though she could never persuade Constance not to do something.  
After that first day when Brady had shown Nicole the picture he had found of Constance he hadn't rested till he learned more and more about the girl. It was almost as if he had developed feelings for the girl in the photos. And as Nicole started relating tales to him of Constance and her adventures his questions and feelings grew so that he spent most days visiting pouring over the contents of her attic in hopes of learning more about the red haired nymph. Nicole had found it hard at first, but as time went on it became easier to talk about her and she soon found herself enjoying reliving the memories of the past. She told him story after story about their adventures. About the time they had snuck into the local garbage dump and had been chased by the junkyard dog. It had been Constance's idea to go there and she had made sure both had escaped through the crack in the fence before she got out. The two girls had gotten out unscathed but Constance was left with a constant reminder of that day from the dog bite on her leg and the many shots she had to have afterwards.   
"She was always like that," Nicole had told Brady when she'd first told the story, "Though she would get us into tough situations she always made sure we were okay and would make sure if anyone got hurt it was only her. She was the bravest person."  
Out on the porch the lightning flashed so bright she could see the tops of the trees all the way back to the cliff. Today of all days Brady had to choose to watch the tape of their final day together. Why'd if have to be today?

  

As Amanda stared out the window at the storm clouds which were still a distance off she remembered that night. After their joint party Constance had gone out on her bike alone. A storm, much like the one raging right now, had started up. Constance's parents had assumed she had taken refuge at a friends or in the girl's clubhouse and had gone to bed without a worry. Constance, though she had gotten into scrapes and had been brought home on occasion by the police, was a responsible girl.   
The next morning Constance hadn't shown up for breakfast, something she always did even after spending the night at Nicole's or Amanda's. Her parents called Nicole and Amanda but neither knew where she was. The clubhouse was empty and none of the other places Constance and the girls hung out contained evidence of her having been there. The search started immediately after that but no trace of her could be found. Even to that day no one knew what had happened. Even Nicole was unable to divine the answer and she'd been trying to for years.   
When her son had asked her where Constance was now after Nicole wouldn't tell him, why they weren't friends anymore, Amanda told him that story. Told him how after her disappearance life had been hard for the two girls. High school was supposed to be the best time of their lives, or so Constance had told them. Instead it had been one of the most depressing times. Nicole's powers had started to develop that first year of high school and if Amanda hadn't been around during it she probably wouldn't have believed they were real now. But even with that they weren't able to find out what had happened to their friend--a fact which made life harder for the both of them--even more so for Nicole.  
Amanda had reverted to her cold and cut off nature--becoming more closed off than before Constance had opened her up. She had focused on her studies, only coming out of her shell for the man that had been Brady's father. For awhile he had helped her but in the end the loss of Constance was too great--something he never understood--and they eventually split. No matter how hard she tried to forget her--no matter how tight she closed her heart--Amanda could never forget Constance. She was as much a part of her as her skin or Brady. Constance was not easily forgotten.

  

The sky was dark and though the wind had started to blow, bringing droplets of water splashing onto Nicole's exposed skin, she did not move.   
A few years after Constance's disappearance her parents had moved away and the girls had never heard from them again. Though Constance had been an outgoing character, she had been the closest with Nicole and Amanda. Those at school who had known her soon seemed to forget about the red haired girl with the infectious laughter as they went on with their lives. The world turned but not for Nicole or Amanda, they weren't able to have a normal life for years. It wasn't till Amanda's marriage had broken up and Nicole had a brief lapse into alcoholism that the two realized they couldn't be alone. After high school they hadn't spoken but when their worlds fell apart for the second time they called on each other, becoming even closer as they helped each other. Though they missed her they both knew Constance wouldn't have wanted them to suffer as they had.   
After that they designated a single day to get together and remember and cry about the past. It helped for awhile and they were able to go back to normal lives for awhile, forgetting her for the rest of the year. Then Brady had found her photo.   
Nicole realized how silly it had been of them to think they could just have one day and forget Constance for the rest of the year. Someone like Constance wasn't so easily forgotten. And though they both had tried to move on she didn't know how they'd ever get over the loss of their best friend. There was just no getting past it.  
Close by thunder rumbled as Nicole finally headed back inside. As she did lightning flashed so close the glass in the windows shook.

  

Plates clattered in the small hotel restaurant as servers cleaned tables. At a table near the window Amanda and Greg sat together deciding over what to eat.   
"What are you going to have?" asked Greg as he raised his eyes from the menu. Amanda was staring out the window and didn't look like she'd touched her menu. "Is something wrong?"  
She looked slightly in a daze as she turned to look at him. At the sight of his concerned expression her vision cleared as she calmly replied. "No. It's nothing." Her head turned back to look out the window. The clouds outside had moved further away from her, closer to Nicole's home. Remembering how close the storm had been that fateful night she knew there was no way Nicole was not going to be able to think about it. Though Amanda had gotten better about putting away thoughts of Constance she knew Nicole had a harder time with it. Nicole had always been a more sensitive person--both emotionally and spiritually. If the storm that night didn't bring back memories for her Amanda would have been surprised.  
"Are you sure?" asked Greg as he slid his hand across the table to rest on top of hers.  
She turned to face him, smiling as she squeezed his hand then pulled it away. "Yes. I'm fine." She picked up her menu, opening it as she asked, "What are you going to order?"

Dessert came as the sky outside darkened into night. The storm had since then stretched out to encompass their hotel as well as lightning flashed its eerie light across the sky.  
"Amanda, I know we're just here on a business trip but I was hoping to use this opportunity to ask you something."  
Amanda looked up from her cake at Greg. "And what is that?"  
She watched as he got down on one knee and help up a little black velvet case. "Amanda Adams, will you do me the honors of--."  
The table shook as Amanda rose so fast her knee knocked against, knocking over her glass of water. "No. Don't do that."  
Greg stared at her for a moment, too confused by her reaction to know how to respond at first. "But I thought we--."  
"I can't do this, Greg. I do like you, but I'm not ready for this."  
"But we've been going out for a year now." He rose to his feet as she remained standing, "When are you going to be ready?"  
She turned her face away, her voice stony as she said, "I don't know if I'll ever be ready."  
He sighed, misinterpreting her coldness as he guessed, "Still haven't gotten over him."  
"Something like that." Her eyes stung as he glumly stood in front of her, the velvet case still clutched in his hand. Though she told herself she had a better hold of it than Nicole here now she realized she didn't. No matter how hard she tried to deny it she wasn't as in control of her life as she thought she was.

  

"Hey, watch this!"  
The camera moved over, stopping on Constance as she stood back from it. She waved then did a cartwheel.  
"Good job."  
"Stop hogging screen time, Constance!" called Amanda from off screen.  
Constance stuck out her tongue in the direction of her friend. "I wouldn't have to if there was something interesting to record. Why don't we get Billy over here and we can make a video of you eating each other's faces?"  
Amanda cried out in anger as she ran across the screen and chased Constance. The camera followed them as they ran around the backyard.   
Brady laughed as he rolled onto his back while holding his sides. With his head turned to the side he watched as Constance pushed his mother into the pool. Though his mother and Nicole had told him Constance had disappeared twenty years ago he still dreamed that someday they'd be reunited. Each year on his birthday he even wished with his candle blow that she'd return. If he could see his mom and Nicole looking as happy as they had in the photos and in this video it would be the best wish granted. And for him to finally meet the girl who had captured his heart wouldn't hurt either.  
"I really wish Constance was here now," he mused aloud. "She would be loads of fun."  
Upstairs at the glass doors of the outside porch Nicole gazed out at the lightning filled sky and sighed. "I wish Constance was here."  
Two towns over, alone at a table being cleared by a waiter, Amanda gazed out at the storm. Her eyes filled with tears as feelings she'd long tried to suppress came to the surface. With them came words she hadn't said for a long time, "I miss you, Connie. I wish you were here."  
Back at the cement and glass home lightning flashed across the sky as it headed straight for the power box of Nicole's house. The powerful blast of energy hit metal box and traveled down the line at super speeds through the circuitry in the house where it made a bee line for the TV's power chord. As the image of Constance making a face for the camera began to play the lightning struck and then the screen went black.  
Brady sat up as he stared at the screen as it popped and fizzled. "What in the world?"  
He cried out as the TV suddenly sparked then exploded internally. The flames from the internal fire soon subsided leaving behind a large smoke cloud which enveloped the space the TV had occupied.  
Nicole heard the explosion and hurried down the stairs, calling out as she made her way into the living room. "Brady, what was that? Are you okay?"  
Brady coughed as he swatted at the smoke floating towards him. "Yeah, I'm fine. But your TV's busted."  
Nicole looked over at the wall from where the TV hung. The smoke had started to clear and an odd shape that didn't look anything like her TV was slowly coming into view. Her eyes widened as a human shape stepped out into the clear space in front of the smoke. And there she was as if summoned, standing as like she had never even left. Her red hair was as bright as always and her smile was as mischievous as Nicole remembered it. She hadn't aged a day since the last time she'd seen her.  
"Constance?" asked Nicole in disbelief as she took a hesitant step towards her.  
The girl's head tilted to the side, her expression confused. "Do I know you? You seem familiar."  
Behind Nicole Brady's face lit up, all shock gone as he exclaimed, "It's her!"  
"Is it really you?" Nicole reached out for the girl who calmly watched her.  
"I'm not sure. Who exactly do you think I am? I'm Constance." She motioned to herself then pointed to each of them as she said, "But I'm not sure who either of you are."  
"I'm Brady," offered Brady helpfully, "Amanda's son."  
Constance stared at him, studying his face till he began to blush. "Then this is..." She turned to look at the older woman her eyebrow raised in curiosity.  
"Nicole," replied her old friend as her hand finally reached the young girl. Nicole was surprised when her hand didn't go through Constance's shoulder. She was whole--not a spirit or a vision.  
"This is so cool," said Brady as he jumped off the couch and walked over to them, walking around them as he studied the girl then the still smoking TV, "But how'd you get here?"  
Constance followed the boy with her eyes as he circled around her as Nicole continue to hold her hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'm not sure. Last think I remember was riding my bike and then a flash of lightning hit the tree in front of me."  
Brady's smile increased, resembling the look of someone who had just solved an equation considered unsolvable, "So what's what happened?"  
"What do you mean?"   
Nicole couldn't believe how calm the girl had been, but then she remembered little had ruffled her friend. It seemed even time travel left her unaffected.  
"Twenty years ago you disappeared," explained Brady, "No one knows what happened to you but this must have been it. You were transported to the future and now here you are."  
Constance didn't look convinced, "That's pretty farfetched," she turned to look at Nicole who was having a harder time accepting everything that was happening compared to the girl, "What do you think, Nicky?"  
Nicole stumbled back as she suddenly felt overwhelmed. She held her hand as she turned and walked back to the couch, sitting back with a heavy sigh. "I don't know."  
Constance walked over, pulling her knees up under her as she sat beside the woman. "You don't think it's me? I believe you are you. You look just like you only..." she paused as if considering how to phrase it then said, "older."  
"I don't know what I think," replied Nicole as she let her head flop back on the back rest of the couch.  
"Hey, I know," exclaimed Brady as he came over and sat on the other side of Nicole, mimicking the sitting position of Constance, "If you're not her then you won't have that scar from the junkyard."  
Constance frowned as she looked accusingly at her friend, "I thought we weren't going to tell anyone about that." When Nicole stared at her she sighed, looking slightly embarrassed as she rolled up her pant leg to reveal the scar left by the dog bark.   
Brady looked confused as he stared at the bite which was smaller than he'd imagined it, "That's a small bite mark, did it get smaller?"  
"It was a Chihuahua," explained Constance begrudgingly.  
"A junk yard Chihuahua?"  
Constance nodded as she turned to look at her friend, "Does that prove it?"  
Brady nodded for the both of them as he agreed, "It sure does. Right, Aunt Nicole?"  
Nicole rose as she headed around the couch. "I need a drink." She headed off into the kitchen as Brady scooted into the spot she'd vacated.  
"This is so cool. I've wanted to meet you for the longest time."  
Constance smiled just as brightly. "Same here."  
He laughed. "Oh man, you are so funny. I love it."  
Constance's smile faded slightly as she looked back where Nicole had done, "Is Nicky going to be okay?"  
He nodded. "Yeah, she's fine. She's just overwhelmed. It has been twenty years since she last saw you and now you're suddenly here. Anyone would find it disconcerting."  
"I wouldn't," countered Constance, "Though I have to admit it is a little weird hearing Nicky called an Aunt." She began to stroke her chin as a grin formed, "I guess that would make me your Aunt Constance."  
Brady frowned, feeling unhappy for the first time since she'd appeared. "I guess."  
Her head tilted to the side as she noted his displeasure. "What's wrong?"  
Nicole walked in then her glass bubbling with a clear liquid. "Constance, you say the last thing you remember was the night of our fourteenth birthday party?"  
She nodded as she turned and rested her arms on the back of the couch to face the woman. "Yeah. And you guys haven't seen me since then? Do you not know what happened?"  
Nicole shook her head slowly as she took a sip of her drink. "No, we don't know anything. You just disapeared."  
"Bummer. Sorry I disappeared like that. I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble." Nicole looked away as Constance raised her eyes towards the ceiling as she thoughtfully mused, "Now that I'm here we can start where we left off, right?" She looked at Nicole again who had managed to hide her anguish before the girl asked, "How are my parents?"  
Nicole shrugged, "Don't know. They moved away two years after you disappeared and didn't keep in contact. We have no idea where they are."  
"Oh..." For a moment it looked like Constance was going to cry but she perked up again as she asked, "What about your parents? How are they?"  
"Fine. They moved to Florida." Before she could ask Nicole added, "Amanda's are traveling the country in an RV."  
Constance nodded then started to look around, "Where is Amanda? Her kids here, so where is she?"  
"She's on a date," replied Brady.  
"With who? It's not that Billy kid is it?"  
Nicole shook her head. "No. It's not a date. It's a business trip."  
"But she went with her boyfriend," explained Brady, "They've been together for a whole year. It's pretty serious."  
Constance pursed her lips as she slumped back on the couch. "I've missed a lot." Nicole sat down again as Constance turned to face her. "Catch me up. What was high school like? Was it as awesome as I said it would be?"  
Nicole felt herself snap as she jumped up and threw her glass across the room. It shattered on the ground in front of the TV as she cried, "Of course not--you weren't there. We were miserable."  
Constance rose as she placed her hand on her friend's shaking shoulder. "I didn't do it on purpose. I'm as upset as you."  
Nicole ran her hand down over her face as she exhaled slowly, "I know. I'm sorry. It's just...hard."  
Constance hugged her. "I know, Nicky. Just think how I feel--I missed out on everything. Your first kiss, Amanda's first pimple, and the birth of Amanda and Billy's kid."   
She pointed towards Brady who protested, "I'm not Billy's kid."   
Constance exhaled in relief. "Oh good. I don't know if I'd be able to stand you if you were."  
Nicole turned Constance's face towards her, "Constance, be serious."  
The smile dropped from her friend's face as her eyes lowered to the ground. "I'm sorry." Her voice broke as her eyes started to water.  
As the storm continued to rage outside Nicole wrapped her arms around her childhood friend and together the two cried over the loss time and memories.

  

Constance closed the door to Nicole's room where she'd lain the woman to sleep off her shock. She turned from the door and smiled Brady who had followed her.  
"So you're Amanda's kid? You look just like her."  
He nodded with a shy smile as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Thanks. So, now that you're back, what are you going to do?"  
She shrugged as they started to walk towards the stairs. "Not sure. I'd like to try and start where I left off but I know that's going to be hard and not exactly possible. I still want to go to high school," she started walking backwards down the stairs as she looked at him, "You're my age, right?" He nodded. "We might be in the class."  
His cheeks reddened as he smiled at the ground. "I guess."  
Constance didn't understand his reason for looking away as she moved in so that her face was close to his. "Do you not like me?"  
He stepped away, his foot almost going through the back of the stairs as he did. "No, I do like you." He grew nervous as she stared at him, curiously studying him as he shakily replied, "Nicole has told me a lot about you. You sound really cool."  
She smiled. "I am."  
Brady brought his eyes quickly up from the floor to look at her. "You're also prettier in person."  
"Thanks. I think so too."  
He exhaled, finding her cool demeanor frustrating as he told her, "I'm being serious here."  
"I know. So am I."  
He took a step towards her as he took a hold of her shoulders. "You don't understand. I don't think of you as just a friend of my mom and Aunt Nicole. I definitely don't think of you as an aunt."  
"Okay. Then an uncle, perhaps?"  
Brady shook his head furiously as he adamantly said, "No. What I'm trying to say is--."  
Their conversation was cut off as the sound of the front door opening could be heard followed by someone saying, "Yoohoo, anyone still up? I got back early and--."  
Constance's face lit up as she turned to look down the stairs, "Is that Amy?" She looked at Brady who didn't respond, "Should I go run down to surprise her?"  
He let go of her shoulders as he reluctantly replied, "I don't think she'd--."  
Constance didn't let him finish as she bounded down the metal steps. She didn't stop till she had run into her friend, her arms wrapping around the woman's waist as the two fell to the ground.  
"Brady you don't have to..." Amanda's words stopped as her mouth continued to move while her eyes stared down at her old friend. Constance smiled at her as the woman's eyes widened. Her voice finally came back to her as she choked out a sound, "Constance."  
The young girl smile with a wink. "You got it. I'm back."  
Constance moved off her friend as she let her sit up. Amanda looked bewildered as she look the girl over. "You haven't aged."  
Constance brushed off the comment with a snort, "Nah. It's just really awesome face cream. I'll let you borrow some. You really need it."  
"Constance!" Amanda wrapped her arms around her friend as she squeezed her tightly as if once she let go the girl would float away.  
The young girl gasped as the tightness made her bones ache. "Amy, you're going to kill me."  
Amanda released her grip quickly as she held the girl away from her. "Oh Connie, I don't know how you got here but even if it's just for a few minutes I'm so happy to see you."  
She began to sniffled as Constance reached out and wiped a tear away from her cheek. "Come on, don't start crying. You know I don't like tears. I already had to put a blubbering Nicole to bed."  
"Nicole's seen you?" Constance nodded. "But how did this happen?"  
Constance shrugged. "Not sure. Last thing I remember was riding my bike and then I was here."  
Amanda leapt up as he started to look around. "Have you seen Brady?"  
Constance nodded as she rose beside her. "Yeah. He's upstairs being all weird."  
"How so?"  
"He was going on about how I couldn't be his aunt or something. You need to have a talk with him. He should be more polite to his elders."  
"Technically he's older, he's already had his fourteenth birthday."  
"Are you serious? No fair."  
Amanda sighed as she looked back up the stairs. "But I will have a talk with him. Wait here."  
At the top of the stairs Amanda found her son sitting on the ground with his knees pulled up to his chin and his heard resting on his knees with his arms wrapped around his legs. She slid down beside him and started to stroke his back. "Brady, you okay?"  
His head shook over his knees before he raised it to look at her. He wore a pained expression as he told her, "This isn't how I imagined it would be."  
"I know, sweetie."  
"It's like she doesn't even see me. We're the same age but she treats me like...like..." he paused as he thought it over then concluded, "like your son."  
"You have to understand, Constance was only thirteen when she disappeared. At that point she'd never had a boyfriend and still saw boys as being cootie infested, booger brained dorks. She'd never even been kissed. The only thing she found enjoyable about them was playing pranks on them. She was fine with being friends with them, but to her they were just girls that liked non-girly things. To think a boy would have a crush on her was something that never even crossed her mind. You're not the only boy to have his heart crushed by her obliviousness."  
Brady pressed his lips together as he took in a slow breath. "If she could have been friends with anyone, why did she choose you?"  
Amanda laughed as she pushed her son's head. "I don't even know what attracted her to us. She could have been friends with anyone since she got along with everyone but she chose us. We were the only ones she thought of as friends. She was the glue that held us together--something we didn't realize till she was gone and we broke apart. In the end she was the thing that brought us back together again."  
"Did you ever regret knowing her--since it hurt you so much when she was gone."  
His mother shook her head adamantly, "No, never."   
Brady took in a slow breath then let it out slowly as he lifted his chest, "Then I won't regret this either. If she never sees me as anything more than your son I'll count myself lucky for at least knowing her."  
Amanda smiled as she pulled him in so that his head rested on her chest. "And in the morning when she's gone we'll start looking for a new girl for you."  
Brady lifted his head as he looked at her. "Do you really think she'll be gone in the morning?"  
Amanda frowned sadly as she shrugged. "I don't even know how she got here, but I don't imagine she'll be here for very long. Things like this never last for very long. Like a dream that ends once you wake. Though it feels like a lifetime in the end it is only a few minutes or hours."  
Brady looked sad as he nodded slowly, "I guess you're right." She watched him as he slowly rose to his feet. "I'm going to bed."  
She frowned sadly as she watched him go. "Goodnight."  
Back downstairs Constance was still there. She turned to look at Amanda from her spot in front of the burnt out TV.   
"Did Nicole catch you up?" asked Amanda as she sat down on the coach.  
"Constance shook her head as she got up and came over to sit beside her. "No. She basically just cried."  
"Alright then, I'll tell you. What do you want to know first?"  
Constance smiled, her eyes sparkling as she asked, "Who's Brady's dad? Anyone I know?"  
Amanda frowned as she suddenly remembered how hard hitting Constance's questions had always been. Though the girl had never known what she'd wanted to be Amanda had suspected she'd end up being a reporter. The two stayed up talking for a few more hours as the storm continued to rage. Just before the sun started to come up Constance noticed Amanda's eyes drooping and suggested they call it a night.   
"But what if this is it?" asked Amanda as she hid a yawn behind her hand, "If you're not here when I wake up..." she didn't finished statement as her heard drooped.  
Constance helped her up to the second guest room and tucked her into bed.  
"Goodnight, Amy." She kissed her on the forehead then closed the door behind her. She sighed as she looked at the remaining doors in the hall. "Where do I sleep?"  
One door she already knew as being for Nicole's room and the next two doors contained a library and a bathroom. She stepped up to the last door and peeked her head inside. It was another bedroom and no one appeared to be inside. Padding over to the bed, she slid under the covers, yawning widely as she said goodnight to no on in particular.  
"Goodnight," mumbled someone beside her.  
She rolled over as a flash of lightning in the room lit of Brady's sleeping face. She helped and hid her head under the covers as the rumble of thunder shook the house.  
Brady's eyes fluttered open. He noticed the lump and removed the blankets from over it, his eyes widening as he saw Constance lying beside him. "What are you doing here?" He moved away from her.  
"Sorry." She jumped out of the bed. "I thought it was empty. I'll just--."  
Another flash of lightning lit the room followed by a peel of thunder. She cried out as she dropped to the ground. Brady crawled to the edge of the bed and looked down where she squatted with her eyes squeezed tightly shut and her hands clenched into fists over her ears.  
"Are you afraid of thunder storms?"  
"No. That's ridicu--," another flash of lightning sent her scampering under the bed.  
He crawled out of bed and bent down to peer at where she lay curled into a ball. "If you're scared you can crawl into bed with my mom or Aunt Nicole. They won't mind."  
"I can't."  
"Why not?"  
"They don't know."  
He blinked in surprise. "They don't? But I thought you guys told each other everything."  
"Everything but this." She moved further under the bed as more thunder rumbled.  
Brady stuck his head under the bed. "Why not?"  
"Cause only babies are afraid of thunder and I'm Constance. I'm not supposed to be afraid of anything."  
"Nobody thinks that."  
She looked back at him with her eyebrow raised. "Really? You don't think I'm invincible?"  
He bit his lip as he look away. "I guess you're right." He crawled under the bed till he was lying next to her. "If you're scared and don't want them to know, you could bunk with me." He chewed his lip for a moment then said, "You are my aunt, after all."  
"Really?"  
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. If you think it will help."  
"Probably. Usually I just spend the time alone under my bed but it can't hurt to try."  
The two crawled out from under the bed and got under the covers. Outside lightning flashed, illuminating the forest. Constance gasped as she pulled the covers over her head. Brady pulled them down and took her hand in his. "It's okay."  
She lay on her back, her eyes staring up at the ceiling as more thunder rumbled. "Okay."  
The two rolled onto their sides, facing each other with their hands held together in the middle. Brady smiled as he let his eyes close. "Goodnight."  
She stared at him for a few moments as the lightning illuminated his face. As the room grew dark again she closed her eyes and smiled, squeezing his hand slightly as the thunder rumbled. "Goodnight."

  

Nicole woke the next morning to clear blue skies and the smell of pancakes. When she walked into the kitchen she found Amanda flipping a golden cake onto a plate.  
"What are you doing here?" asked Nicole as she poured herself a cup of coffee.  
"We finished the meeting early so I came back late last night." Amanda set down a plate of pancakes in front of her friend before sitting down across from her.  
Nicole took a sip of her coffee as she eyed her friend over the rim. Her friend sensed there was something she was wanting to say and asked, "What's up?"  
The umber haired psychic stared into her mug as she slowly said, "Last night was the anniversary."  
Amanda nodded as she stared down at her plate. "I know."  
"I had the weirdest dream..."  
The brunette's eyes raised to look at her friend. "Really? What?"  
They were both looking at each other with hopeful expressions as they waited for the other to talk. Neither did, both too afraid to voice what they hoped had been real. As they waited Brady came into the kitchen, his feet shuffling as he yawned and rubbed his eyes.  
"Morning mom, morning Aunt Nicole. Man, I had the weirdest dream last night that Constance came out through the TV." The two women stared at the boy as he poured himself a cup of OJ and sat down at the table. He cut himself a slice of pancake and put it in his mouth before he noticed the women staring at him. "What?"  
"It couldn't have been a dream if we all saw it," reasoned Amanda.  
"Or a vision as only I can see those," added Nicole.  
"So where is she now?" asked Amanda as she looked around.  
"I haven't seen her this morning," answer Nicole.  
"Neither have I."  
All there looked sad as they realized what that mean. "She's gone," Brady finally said, voicing their thoughts. "She left with the storm."  
"Who left with the storm?" The three turned to the voice, their eyes widening at the sight of the red haired girl. "I can't believe you guys are finally up, I thought you were going to sleep all day." Constance didn't look astonished in the slightest that she was still there as she rested her hands on her hips. "Ooh, are those pancakes."   
She sat down at the table as she stole a pancake from each of their plates and began to pour syrup on them. "Amanda always makes the best pancakes." She "mmm'd" happily as she took a bite. "So fluffy."  
The group was still watching her in stunned amazement, none of them able to talk as they watched the ageless girl finish off her plate of breakfast cakes. She looked at each of them as she pointed to their untouched plate, "You going to eat those?"  
"Constance!" exclaimed Amanda suddenly.  
"What, I'm hungry."  
"You're still here!" cried Nicole as she jumped up and hurried around the table to hug her young friend.   
"Of course I am, where else am I going to go?" replied Constance with a grimace as he friend tightly hugged her. "What's with all this tight hugging, I'm not a balloon."  
"If you were still here," mused Brady. "Then why weren't you in bed when I got up."  
Constance shrugged casually as she replied, "I'm an early riser."  
Amanda looked between the young teens as she asked, "Wait, bed? Did you two share a bed last night?"  
Brady's face glowed red as Constance ignored the question and stole a pancake from his plate.  
Amanda stared at her son as she asked, "Did you two sleep together?"  
Constance brushed away her worry with a wave of the hand as she dismissively replied, "We used to sleep in the same bed all the time."  
Amanda wasn't calmed by the her friend's reasoning as she exclaimed, "But we were girls. Brady is a boy. A boy who--," she stopped herself as she glanced at her son whose body was sinking lower and lower down in his chair.  
"It's not like I had anywhere else to go," replied Constance as she put another half of a pancake in her mouth.  
"You could have slept with me," replied Amanda.  
Constance's nose scrunched up, "You? That'd be like sleeping with my mom. It's more fun sleeping with someone your own age."  
Amanda started making incoherent sounds which made Constance laugh as she turned to Nicole, "Bet you've missed that sound. Only I can make Amanda make those sounds."  
Nicole didn't look happy as she frowned at her friend, "This is serious Constance. This is Amanda's son we are talking about. A boy."  
"Which should make it okay," replied Constance in exasperation, "The three of us are basically family. Brady even said last night that I'm like an aunt to him. And don't tell me you haven't shared a bed with him," she pointed at Nicole accusingly, "You cougar."  
Nicole sputtered as she tried to defend herself. Now both women were making strange sounds as Constance rose from her chair. She looked annoyed as she looked at each of them then down at Brady who had almost sunk below the table line. For him she shot a look that conveyed she thought him a coward and a fool. Before anyone could say anything coherent she turned and stomped out of the room.   
"This time period sucks."

A few minutes later when Amanda had finally calmed and Nicole had helped Brady sit up the three of them left the kitchen to search for the young girl. They finally found her in the attic sitting in the midst of a pile of photos, video tapes, DVDs, and other memorabilia from their time together.   
Her shoulders were shaking and as Amanda hurried over to rest her hand on her friends shoulder the girl looked up with a big grin as she laughed and held up a picture, "Look at your hair Manda, I mean, what were you thinking."  
The woman frowned as she gazed at the photo then looked back at her other friend, "I thought I had all those photos destroyed, why do you still have that Nick?"  
The other woman smiled sheepishly as she replied, "I couldn't destroy it. Your hair may look bad but my hair looked amazing in that photo."  
"She's right," said Constance as she showed the picture to Brady, "One of Nicole's best hair days. She had a horrible problem with frizz. You're mom would never understand because her hair was always perfect--just like her."  
Amanda huffed as she sat down on a box. "I am not always perfect."  
"But most other times she is," said Constance with a wink that made both her and Brady laugh.   
Amanda made a grumbling sound as Nicole came and sat on the other side of Constance. She picked up an old stuffed bear with a bald spot and a missing ear. "I'd forgotten he was up here."  
"Who is he?" asked Brady as Nicole passed him the bear to look at.  
"Mr. Tuddles," replied Nicole.  
"What?" said Brady with a confused look.   
"His name was actually Herbert," replied Amanda with a hint of annoyance, "But Constance renamed him because she said he reminded her of my next door neighbor, Mr. Tuddles."  
Constance laughed as she held the bear next, "Well he does. But after I renamed him Amanda refused to sleep with him anymore, saying she wasn't going to sleep with a bear that looked like an old man."  
Brady laughed with her as the two began to toss the bear back and forth between them before Amanda snatched it away. She looked affectionately at the bear as she ran her thumb down the side of its cheek.   
"When I was younger I didn't go anywhere without Herbert."  
"Mr. Tuddles," corrected Constance.  
Amanda ignored her, "When I got older I only took him to bed with me."  
"Naughty."  
Amanda's smile faltered. "In the end I left him on a shelf with my other stuffed animals."  
Constance loudly whispered to Brady behind her hand, "After I told her she resembled her neighbor. She says that's not the reason, that it's cause she grew up, but we all know that's not true."  
Amanda frowned as she stuffed the bear into a box, "Alright, enough with that memory. What else is up here?"  
The gang dug around in the boxes, pulling out random things which they reminisced over, sharing any stories they had with the objects with each other and Brady.   
"This is my scab collection!" exclaimed Constance as she held up a box as if it were a trophy. She frowned when she opened it to find it contained only photos. "Where are my scabs?"  
Amanda look disgusted as she said, "I threw them out."  
"What? Why? You could have cloned me with those."  
"Doubtful."  
Nicole showed off an album her mother had made for her dressed in all the outfits her mother had made for her.  
"Nicole always had the coolest wardrobe for a girl," Constance explained as she flipped through the book, "Reminded me of a modern fairy tale princess. Do you still wear things like this?"  
As Nicole replied, "No." Amanda responded with a, "Yes."  
"Do I?" asked Nicole.  
Amanda shrugged. "I think so."  
After reminiscing for an hour Constance raised an old electronic device up in the air. "Oh man, our old 3DS. I bet you kids have nothing like this," she bragged as she held up the device to Brady's nose.  
"Actually our consoles are better."  
Constance snorted. "Prove it."  
The group left the attic, heading to Brady's room where he showed off his visor and handheld pad with stylus. Constance gasped as put the visor on and started up the game. The girl waved her hand in front of her face as she stared at the visor's graphics.  
"It's so 3D. Like really 3D."  
"You should see the other things we have in this time," said Brady with a grin.  
"That's a good idea," said Nicole. "If Constance is going to be here for awhile we should get her some things."  
"Like a toothbrush and some clothes," suggested Amanda.  
"What's wrong with my clothes?" asked Constance as she looked herself over. "I bet by this time my clothes are retro and in fashion again."  
"Not really," replied Nicole.  
"That and you need more than one pair of clothes," added Amanda.  
"Oh, right." Constance sighed heavily as her shoulders dropped. "Fine, I guess we can go shopping."  
As the two teens followed behind the women she whispered to Brady, "Does Amanda treat you like a dress up doll when she takes you clothes shopping?"   
He nodded. "Did she do it to you too?"  
"Yes. Shopping was a nightmare because she's always make me try on clothes I'd never buy. Things like dresses and frilly low cut shirts and cotton candy pink skirts."  
Brady laughed as he tried to imagine Constance in the clothes. "I thought I had it bad."  
"You would if you were girl so thank the stars you're not."  
Brady nodded slowly as the group headed outside to the car. "Yeah."  
"What is this?" asked Constance as she stared at the car. "This looks like something out of sci-fi movie. Are all cars like this?"  
Amanda shook her head as she opened the driver door which opened gull-wing style. She lowered the front seat letting Constance and Brady crawl into the back before she righted her seat and got in.  
"So what all is different in twenty years?" asked Constance as Amanda used a push button to start her car.   
"The cars are all voice activated," replied Brady.  
"Really?"  
"No," replied Amanda.  
"Some are, explained Nicole. "But not this one."  
Brady looked pouty as he folded his arms. "Mom wouldn't get it, said it was impractical."  
"But she had to get the Back to the Future doors," replied Constance with a smug grin.  
"What?" asked Brady with a curious expression.  
Constance looked flabbergasted as she leaned forward, "Are you telling me you've never shown Brady your favorite movie?" Amanda remained silent as Constance turned to explain to her son, "Your mom had the biggest crush on time travel movies. She was the biggest nerd when it came to movies of that genre and by the time we were twelve she'd seen almost everyone. Her favorite was this series called Back to the Future where they use this car called a Delorean to travel to the future and the past. It had doors on it that do that raise up thing. She even at one time had a poster of H.G. Wells which she would kiss every night."  
At Brady's confused looked Nicole explained, "He's the man that wrote a book called The Time Machine."  
"I did not have a poster of him," objected Amanda.  
"Yes you did. You had it hidden behind her clothes in your closet."  
"Did not."  
"Did too!"  
Brady laughed as Constance and his mother argued. The argument only ended when they reached their destination and Constance crawled out of the car. Her arguing was cut off as she stared at the structure of the outdoor mall.  
"So cool."  
After the storm from the previous night the white stone of the buildings shone like pearls in the sunlight, looking whiter against the blue of the sky. Constance's eyes darted around as if trying to take everything in at once as they made their way past each store. The first place they stopped was a game store where Brady showed off each new console to Constance.  
"I have this one and this one," said the boy as he pointed at each system then began to point out each game he had on it. "This one's fun. I returned this one, it was stupid. Oh, I think you'd love this one."  
The two women had to drag them out of the store, having to remind them of their reason for being there, "Constance needs clothes."  
Their next stop was a clothing store they hadn't had when they were teens. "This is so where I should have shopped," exclaimed Constance as she spun around the store, "Why didn't they have this place when we were kids?"  
Brady took a seat on a bench as Constance started to scoop up articles of clothing. His mother called to him and looked to her, "Brady will you please walk over to the store across the street and pick up some bathroom amenities for Constance like a toothbrush."  
Sighing heavily as he rose from his seat, he took the cash from her and walked to the door. Just before leaving he looked back at the changing room Constance had disappeared into, "Can't you go?"  
Amanda shook her head. "Thank you, dear."  
He sighed again as he pushed the door open and headed out into the evening air.   
"Why'd you send him away?" asked Nicole as she watched the boy dash away. "I don't really know why he'd want to stick around but I could have gone."  
"Don't you remember what Constance was like when we used to go shopping?" her friend shook her head. "How she'd oftentimes come out with only her underwear or bra."  
"Oh yes, I guess it's a good thing he left."  
A minute later the changing room door burst open as Constance jumped out, dramatically raising her hands above her head as she cried, "Ta-dah!" Her grin faded as she looked around the room, only seeing her two friend who smiled.  
"You look nice," said Amanda.  
Ignoring the complement she gazed around the store, "Where's Brady?"  
"I sent him to get your toothbrush."  
"But he's supposed to see my fashion show."  
"We're here," Nicole reminded her.  
Constance didn't look like that was enough for her as she turned and closed the changing door behind her. After she'd changed into the next outfit she opened the changing door again, stepped out for a moment then closed the door again before her friends could say anything.  
"We barely saw that," called Amanda.  
"I wanted Brady here."  
Her friends exchanged looks as Nicole asked, "Why?"  
"Because you guys are worthless," Constance opened the door having changed into another outfit.  
"That's cute," said Amanda.  
"See, like that. I don't want cute. I want, posh, fierce, cool even. I want a man's opinion. Someone who won't sugarcoat it and will tell me an outfit looks lame."  
Nicole started to say something but was cut off as the store's front door chimed. Feet pounded as Brady ran back to the changing room, breathing heavily as sweat beaded on his forehead. He held out the toothbrush to his mom, "There." Then flopped down on the bench in front of the changing rooms.  
Constance smiled as she showed off the outfit she was wearing for him, "What do you think?"  
"Don't like it."  
Constance nodded her head shortly, "Right." She went back in the changing room.  
Amanda looked back from the girl to her son in stunned confusion, "Wait, what? I thought it looked cute. Why didn't you like it?" Brady shrugged. "You don't know--how can you decide something without a reason?"  
"I do it all the time," called Constance from inside the changing room. "I don't need a reason. Sometimes just a feeling is enough." She opened the door. "You need to learn not be so analytical about things Mandy. Sometimes you just gotta jump--reason or no."  
Amanda frowned as her young friends made her think of Greg. Had she thought too much when it came to her and his relationship? They had a lot in common and she did care about him. And how that Constance was back she felt her shield crumbling away slightly. If Constance stayed she might even completely break free of her cold casing. But if she didn't...Amanda's eyes watered as she tried to push the feeling away.  
Beside her Nicole must have been thinking the same thing as she took Amanda's hand in hers. "How long do you think this will last?"  
"I don't know. We don't even really know how it happened in the first place."  
"Do you think it was time travel that brought her to us?"  
"You know it can't be."  
Nicole sighed, her breath shaky with choked back tears. "You're right."  
Constance came out in another outfit in which she performed some kung-fu kicks. "What do you think?"  
Brady grinned as he replied, "Awesome."  
"Awesome awesome, or just awesome?"  
"Awesome awesome."  
The young girl nodded. "Good. I only wear awesome awesome things."  
Amanda and Nicole both laughed as the girl headed back into the changing room. Even if this was the last day they had with their friend they knew they would treasure it as much as they had all their other times with her. And if they never saw her again after this like before...again they didn't want to think about that.

  

After the clothes shopping spree the group ended the day with a dinner at a movie theatre.  
"This is so cool," said Constance as they sat in front of the big screen with their menus. "We never got to go to one of these when we were younger."  
"We do it all the time," said Brady as he started to point out what items he liked.   
"I can't believe they are making a remake of this," mused Nicole as she stared at the name on her ticket stub. "The original was so good."  
"You know Hollywood, if they can just recycle something with new packaging they don't care how many times its been done."  
"I hope it is as good as the original."  
"Probably won't be. Remakes are never as good as the original.  
"What about--."  
Amanda cut her off as she folded her arms, "Nope. Never."  
The group ordered their food then waited as the previews for upcoming films began to play.  
"Woah, that guys still an actor," exclaimed Constance which got several shushes from her friends. Quieter she said, "I didn't like him when we were younger, how is he still getting paid to make movies?"  
"Some people think he's hot," replied Amanda.  
Constance rolled her eyes, "Only people with really terrible taste."  
The two stuck out their tongues at each other which made Brady and Nicole laugh.   
When the movie had ended the small group headed back to Nicole's home. From the driver's seat Amanda caught sight of Constance nodding off in the back seat. She stated to object when the girl rested her head on Brady's shoulder but when she saw the happy look on his face she decided to not say anything. It had been a long time since she had seen him so happy. To see his smile put a smile on her face and again she was reminded of the pain that would come if Constance wasn't there tomorrow.  
As the two teens nodded off in the back Amanda whispered to Nicole, "We can't let her leave."  
"But how can we prevent something we don't even understand."  
"I don't know but I don't think I can go on again if she disappears again. I only just coped the first time."  
Nicole placed her hand over Amanda's in comfort. "We both barely survived."  
As the two lost themselves in dark thoughts neither noticed as Constance's eye peeked open and glanced at both of them before closing. A short time later when they arrived at Nicole's home the girl feign sleep, forcing the two women to carry her into bed.  
"Nicole and I will share a bed so you and Constance don't have," Amanda told her son when she closed the door on Constance's room.  
"It's no trouble," Brady insisted.  
His mother frowned as she pushed him off down the hall, "Trust me, it is."  
He sighed as she closed the door to his room with him in it. "Fine."  
As everyone else slept, the two women restless as they dreamed of a Constance free morning, the young girl lay completely awake staring up at the ceiling. When she was sure everyone was asleep she snuck out of bed and padded down to the front door. The alarm was on but after entering her birthday it turned off. Her hand rested on the alarm code pad as she felt her throat tighten.   
"What are you doing?"  
She turned to see Brady staring at her through droopy half asleep eyes. He was dressed in only a pair of flannel pants and she had to admit for Amanda's son he had a nice figure.  
"I was just going to get some air," she answered as she hooked her thumb towards the outside.  
"You're not going to disappear again are you?"  
"Not on purpose."  
He stepped towards her, his brow suddenly knit in worry. "Maybe you should stay here, you know, just in case."  
"In case of what?"  
"In case whatever happened to you happens again."  
She frowned as her arms folded in front of her. "Are you telling me what to do?"  
He sighed as he remembered being told how much she hated being told what to do. "No, I'm not. I just--I don't think it's a good idea."  
"Why?"  
"Because."  
She was growing impatient as she snapped quickly back, "Because why?"  
Brady was getting just as frustrated as he replied angrily, "Because I don't want my mom to cry anymore." He felt guilty as he saw her eyes water before she turned away.  
"And why would my leaving cause her to do that?"  
Brady stepped towards her, his voice gentle as he told her, "After you disappeared my mom and Aunt Nicole were really hurt. It took them a long time to get their lives back to normal--or what they could pass for normal. But they never really got over you. Sometimes at night I even hear my mom crying alone in her room. It always seems that Nicole is the one most affected by the loss of you since she talks about you so much and cries over you in the morning, but my mom was hurt by it too. She's just better at hiding it."  
Constance's arms wrapped around her as if she'd suddenly grown cold. He stepped closer so that he could touch her shoulder with his hand. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laid this on you."  
She shook her head. "No, you were right in telling me." Her head turned to look at him. "In fact, I'd like you to tell me everything."  
"Everything?"  
She nodded. "Whatever you can tell me about them after they last saw me. I need to understand it all."  
Brady sighed. "Are you sure?"  
Her eyes looked determined as she simply said, "Yes."  
"Then you better come sit down. This could take awhile."  
Late into the night Brady related the lives of Constance's friends after that final summer day they'd seen her. He told her about Nicole's emerging powers and how her inability to find out about what had happened to Constance had driven her to drink. While Nicole was drowning in her sorrows Amanda was reinforcing her walls--becoming cold as she put her full concentration into her studies. For a time Amanda seemed to be fine when she met Brady's father but then years later a call from a news reporter wanting a follow up interview on the Constance Hope story sent his mother over the deep end. After that it wasn't long before Amanda's marriage crumbled.  
"Now she's got a new guy," Brady told Constance, "But I don't think their relationship is going to go anywhere. He's a great guy and if mom weren't so closed off I think she could be happy with him."  
Constance could tell there was more he wanted to say but wouldn't so she finished for him, "If she weren't so broken up over the loss of me, if both of them weren't, they could move on with their lives and actually live them."  
Brady looked guilty again, "I'm sorry."  
"It's not your fault." Her voice broke as she clutched her arms, "It's mine."  
He shook his head. "No, it's not. You didn't do any of this."  
"Didn't I? I was the one that became so entwined in their lives that they didn't know what to do when I was gone. I was the one that road out that night and never came back."  
"But you would have if you could. It's not like you ran away."  
Constance grimaced as she nodded. "Right."  
Brady rose slowly from his seat on the couch, "I've told you everything I know. We should probably get to bed now."  
"You go ahead. I'm going to sit for awhile."  
Brady stopped at the door way from the living room and looked back at her. "Constance." She looked at him. "If you can help it, please don't leave. I don't want you to go either."  
A smile stretched across her lips but it looked more like an ingrained muscle response than the real thing. He sighed as he turned away and headed towards the metal stairs.  
Constance sighed as she looked down at her hands clutched in her lap. Inside her heart she felt a storm brewing, lightning flashing as brightly as that final night. And much like as that night, a dark shadow was forming, taking up residence in a corner of her heart. Her eyes squeezed shut as a tear slid down. "I'm so sorry."

  

The next morning Nicole awoke to the phone ringing. She picked it up, her voice groggy as she answered, "Hello?"  
"Is this Nicole Jameson?"  
"This is she."  
There was a pause then the line disconnected. Nicole yawned as she stretched and crawled out of bed. After a quick shower she headed downstairs. As she passed the living room she paused and looked inside. Over the back of the couch rested a leg. When she walked over she found Constance sprawled out on the love seat, her head hanging over the end while her left leg stretched out over the top of the couch's back.   
Nicole laughed to herself, "She hasn't changed at all." Her smile faded as she recalled, "But I have."  
Her heavy sigh caught the sleeping girl's attention as she suddenly sat up, crying out as she looked around then calmed. She grinned when she saw her friend, "Hey, Nicky. What's for breakfast?"  
The older woman smiled back as she motioned towards the kitchen, "I don't know, but if you help me..."  
Constance groaned as she flopped back on the couch then rolled onto the floor where she finally rose to her feet. "Fine." Her shoulders slumped dramatically as she followed the umber haired psychic.   
As the two pulled out ingredients from the fridge Constance threw glances at her friend before finally speaking, "So Brady told me about you last night."  
"Told you--told you what?" Nicole bit her lip pensively.  
Constance related everything Brady had said. When she was finished Nicole sat back heavily into a nearby chair. She looked ashamed as she ran her fingers through her hair, something Constance knew she did when she was upset.   
"I really wish he hadn't told you that," said Nicole with a heavy sigh.  
Constance sat across from her. "I'm glad he did." She reached across the space between them and rested her hand on Nicole's. "You should have never had to go through that." Constance had thought long and hard about what she would say, how she would help her friends through this. Though she was sure it wouldn't end their suffering right away she was sure over time they'd be able to move on and then maybe finally they could start their lives anew. "I was selfish in taking twenty years of your life."  
"It wasn't you," protested Nicole. "I was the one that couldn't let you go."  
"But it was me who made you think you couldn't. Nicole, you've always been the strongest of the three of us, not me. You were the one that punched Chase McGrath when he was picking on Amanda. You were the one that kept Amanda from not throttling me and helped keep me in check when I got too wild. You were the glue that held us together, not me." Constance turned to look behind Nicole, "And you were the bricks."  
Nicole turned to find Amanda standing behind them. The woman looked upset as she came and sat beside her friends. "What is this?"  
"I'm giving you guys an intervention," replied Constance, "You've held on to me long enough and its time to finally let me go." Constance placed her other hand on Amanda's, "You think you are cold and closed off but Amanda you are the warmest of all of us. You are the one that raised Brady all by yourself and were the first one of us to let someone knew into your life with his father. Even now you've got another guy, Greg--who sounds like a great guy by the way--but if you don't do something you are going to lose him too. I know you're probably afraid if you let someone else in they'll leave you like I did but you can't not risk it. If you do you'll just end up hurting yourself more. You're not as tough as you think--you're actually the most fragile of us."  
Amanda looked down as her eyes watered. "I can't Connie, it hurt too much the first time--I don't want it to happen again."  
Beside her Nicole sobbed softly as both their shoulders shook. Constance squeezed both their hands as she slowly stood up and pulled away. They looked at her as she told them, "I'm not going to haunt you any longer. You have to let me go." A mist started to swirl around her and both women rose to their feet and started towards her, she stopped them with a raised hand. "It's time you moved on and let me move on as well." She placed her hand over her heart. "I'll always be with you but you can't let me be the center of your hearts anymore. It's time you give that position to someone else." She looked at Amanda, "Like you Greg and Brady." Then at Nicole, "And it's time you learned how strong you really are. Don't be afraid."  
The women let out a distressed cry of protest as their friend suddenly disappeared. As they ran forward they found she was gone.   
"No," cried Amanda, "You can't leave again. Please, we need you."  
Beside her Nicole felt her eyes water as she watched her friend sobbed. She pulled the woman into her arms as she comforted her. "Constance is right, it's time we let her go. Time we moved on. We're not kids anymore."  
As Amanda let her walls crumble for the final time, Nicole stood a little taller, feeling for the first time like she could do anything. And for the last time the women cried over the loss of their friend.

  

In the woods behind Nicole's home Brady found the red haired girl under a tree. Her knees were pulled up to her face which was buried against them as her shoulders shook.   
He knelt down beside her as he placed his hand on her shoulder, "Are you sure you want to do this?"  
Her head nodded as she kept her face buried.  
He looked out as the trees as he let out a slow sigh. "That dry ice worked really well. For a moment I thought you really were disappearing like an apparition." He looked at her again as he asked, "What are you going to do now?"  
She lifted her face and though her shoulders had been shaking her eyes looked as clear as if she'd just been laughing. Her expression was grave as she looked at him. "I would go back to my parents but it would take too long to explain and I'd probably just end up hurting them in the end." She looked out at the woods. "If there was a reason behind why I appeared it was probably to help those two move on. And if I've succeeded my reason for staying should be fulfilled--I can move on now."  
Brady suddenly grabbed her hand, surprising both her and him. For a moment they just stared at each other then he spoke, "Please don't. If you need another reason to stay let it be because of me."  
Her eyebrow rose as she asked, "And why do you need me? You have a wonderful mother and an awesome aunt in Nicole. What reason could you possible have to want me around?"  
Brady bit his lip as he looked away and mumbled something. She moved in closer as she asked him to repeat himself. When he turned to reply they were both surprised by the closeness of their faces. For the first time in her life Constance felt her face heat as the boy stared at her. What is happening to me?  
Before she could even think to move away his face moved in closer and there under a large pin tree the two shared their first kiss. The first for both of them.

  

After crying for a few hours Amanda left to talk to Greg on the phone and Nicole headed back to the kitchen to get some food. Checking the security cameras as she passed them she continued towards the back of the home. She was half-way through pouring a bowl of cereal when she gasped and hurried back to the monitors. On the TV showing the front gate was the image of a black sedan sitting outside. Two imposing men were standing outside the car and seemed to be inspecting the tall wrought iron gate. The image were small but she recognized one of the men as Tony "Scar" the right hand man of mobster Giovanni "Grapes."  
Recently she had used her abilities to help the police in a case that put away the head mobster for life. Now his men were outside her estate. She hurried to the phone and had just picked it up when the buzzer for the front gates sounded.  
"Yo, Psycho," came a heavily New Jersey accented voice through the com-system, "we know you're in there." The voice was gruff and made Nicole shiver as it said flatly, "We's want to talk to you. Let us in."  
The phone dropped from her hand, hitting the floor with a slight crack as a piece of it broke off with a loud thud. The image of Brady and Amanda lying in a puddle of blood on the floor off her kitchen flashed across her mind's eye. It was a vision of the future and she suddenly felt sick. What made it worse was that she didn't know what action would bring out that outcome. If she opened the gate would they die or would it occur if she didn't let them in and waited for the police to come.  
She knew the fastest the police could get there was thirty minutes and by then the mobsters would have been able to get past the front gates and killed them all. But if she didn't call the police and let them in the mobsters would be able to kill them all and not have to worry about anyone finding their bodies for a good week or more. Amanda was supposed to be at a business meeting and Nicole had taken a week off form work to keep an eye on Brady. They wouldn't be missed for a good amount of time for the men to get away.  
Nicole's breathing started coming in short sporadic breaths as she sat down. Amanda came in, just hanging up the phone she'd been using, pausing when she saw her friends panicked look. She hurried over to the other woman, taking a hold of her friend's hands which felt cold and clammy.  
"Nicky, what's wrong?" Nicole weakly motioned to the monitors as she kept her eyes cast down. Amanda went over and looked. "Who are they?"  
"The mob," replied Nicole with a sickened choke in her voice.  
Amanda paled at the sight of the long scar across the face of the man called Tony "Scar." She had worked a case once that had involved Giovanni. It had involved them and the death of a whole family, but the cops couldn't pin it on them and they had gotten off. Nicole had finally been able to help the police catch the head, getting evidence for them to put him away for good. They were finally here to seek revenge on her.  
She turned back to her friend as she asked, "Have you called the police?"  
Nicole shook her head. Amanda reached for the phone.  
"Wait." Amanda paused. "I saw both you and Brady dead on the floor. I don't know which situation will lead to that outcome."  
Amanda had once been a skeptic but after having known Nicole and her powers for years she'd become a believer. She set the phone back down. "What should we do?"  
Nicole's shoulders slumped even lower. "I don't know."  
The women heard footsteps and turned to look as Brady stepped around the corner. His face looked red and he grinned sheepishly as he greeted them, "Hey, what's up?"  
Amanda ran over and hugged him close as she rubbed his hair down, "Everything is going to be okay?"  
Brady stared up at his mother in confusion, noting her white face as he looked over at Nicole who was even paler, "What's wrong?"  
"Nothing," replied his mother as she "shh'd" soothingly, "We're going to be okay."  
"Mom," he pushed back away from her, his eyes flashing with impatience as he asked, "What's going on?"  
For the first time he noticed Nicole's eyes were transfixed on her security monitors. He turned and looked as a black sedan backed up and then ran into the metal fence, knocking it over as it drove through to the home's carport.  
"The police have been alerted now," noted Amanda.  
Nicole shivered. "We should activate the system."  
Amanda nodded and put in the pass code. Alarms blared and metal plating came down over all the windows and doors.  
Brady looked panicked as he hurried to the monitors, "Wait, can no one get in now?"   
He looked back at his mother who nodded, "Yes, we're safe now."  
"Hopefully," added Nicole. "We just have to wait for the police to arrive to stop them, if they can."  
Amanda shivered, finding no comfort in her friend's hollow words.  
Brady looked back at the screen, "You have to open the doors." He looked back at the two women who were confused by the panic in his voice..  
"But its' keeping out the mobsters.  
"But it's also keeping out Constance."  
His mother stepped up to him, "Constance is gone, honey. She went back to heaven."  
Brady pulled away from her as she started to put her hands on him. "No, she's not. It was fake. She's still here." He pointed to the screens. "Out there."  
Suddenly his mother and Nicole looked just as panicked as the psychic rose to her feet. "She's out there, with them?"  
Brady nodded.  
All three raced for the alarm pad.  
"Hey, did you know your windows have metal in front of them?" asked Constance as she came into the room.   
Mobsters were temporarily forgotten as everyone stared at her.   
"You're here!" exclaimed Amanda.  
"I thought you were still outside," said Brady as both the teen's faces reddened.  
"You're not a ghost?" asked Nicole as she touched her friend again.  
Constance shook her head. "Nope, sorry. I just wanted to help you guys move on." She smiled hopefully. "Did it help?"  
Nicole sighed with relief as she hugged the girl, "I'm just glad you're okay."  
"So what's with the lock down?"  
Everyone's thoughts returned to the danger they were in as they all looked at the monitors where the mobsters had stopped at the front door which was covered by a metal security plate.  
"The mob is here to kiss us," replied Brady calmly.  
"Oh," replied Constance just as coolly.  
Nicole and Amanda groaned as they recalled how unaffected Constance always had been in drastic situations. The word "panic" was not in her vocabulary and nothing was "all that bad" in her eyes.  
"What are we going to do to get rid of them?" asked Constance as she watched the mobsters pull something out of a duffel bag.   
Nicole sighed in resignation as she sat down again. "There's nothing we can do but wait."  
"Come on Nicky, you're always had a sixth sense about these things. What does it tell you to do?"  
She frowned as she looked down at the spot in her kitchen from her vision. "It says Amanda and Brady are going to die."  
"Is that all?" They all looked at her their eyes wide with shock. "What? It's a good idea."  
Their eyes widened more and sputtering sounds issued from Amanda as she tried to protest.  
Constance held up her hands in a "calm down" motion as she said, "Listen--this is what we're going to do if they make it inside." She glanced back at the screens where the mobsters were attaching something to the front door, "Which is looks like they'll be doing any minute."

  

Outside the home the mobsters set their charges and moved a safe distance back before setting off the explosion. Inside the house shook as the explosion left a large gap for them to walk through. Checking their guns as they walked, the men headed into the home.  
"We don't appreciate waiting!" called the one with the scar, Tony. "So's we let ourselves in. And now you're gunna pay for that and Boss Grape."  
"Tony," called one of his men who had gone ahead of him, "We got something in here!"  
Tony ran to where his men were. The body of a middle aged woman and a teenage boy were lying on the ground in a puddle of blood.   
He frowned in confusion. "Who did this?" He turned on his men with a ferocious look.  
They looked panicked as one of them insisted, "We didn't boss. They were like this when we got here. Could that be the psychic?" The man pointed to the older woman.  
"No. She has orange hair. Span out and find her. She couldn't have gotten far."  
A trail of bloody footprints led from the bodies to the backdoor. One of Tony's men followed it while the rest searched the house. Outside a girl with reddish hair stood at the edge of the forest and waved her arms at him.  
"Hey, help!" she called, "There's been a murder."  
The man grinned as he stepped outside. "Oh there's going to be. Wait right there!"  
The girl turned her back to him. "Come on, he's in here!" She ran into the woods.  
The man groaned as he ran after her. "Hey, wait up girlie!" He grinned to himself as he imagined what he would do when he caught her.  
Ahead of him Constance looked back and called for him to hurry, "The guy's just up there."

Meanwhile, another one of the mobsters made his way up the metal stairs to the second floor. He heard a sound as he headed down the hall.  
"Brady," came a faint voice from down the hall. "Brady."  
The man followed the sound down the hall, stopping outside a door where the voice seemed to be coming from. He grinned as he put his hand on the knob and started to open the door.

Tony wandered back to the kitchen after checking the ground level of the home. His eyes widened when he found the puddle of blood to be empty of bodies. He looked around and found two sets of red footprints heading in opposite directions. He followed the bigger of the two as he cocked his gun.  
The footprints led to a small room filled with shelves of canned food. He entered the pantry and looked around, finding he prints stopped in the middle of the room then disappeared. As he turned around he saw a teenage boy standing on the outside of the door holding a pair of stained red shoes in his hands.   
"Stay there!" called the mobster as he stepped towards the door. He was halfway out the door when an alarm went off and a sliding door set into the wall of the pantry slid out and hit him in the side. He stumbled back, dropping his gun as he fell back against a metal shelf. The metal door made a thud sound as it completely closed.   
Brady picked up the gun and turned so his back was to the wall in case any more mobsters come. A panel near the door crackled to life as his mother's voice came out, "Brady put the gun down and get somewhere safe."  
The boy sighed as he set the gun down and hurried off.

Amanda smiled as she removed her hand from the speaker button. Inside the panic room near the kitchen behind a secret wall she watched the camera's ready to activate anymore traps in addition to the one they had set in the pantry.  
There was a slight knock at her wall, she checked the cameras and pressed a button, letting in Brady. As the door slid shut behind him he came over and sat beside her.  
"How's Aunt Nicole's trap going?"  
Amanda answered by flipping half the cameras over to the upstairs.

Upstairs the mobster opened to reveal a bedroom decorated like a teenager of the early 2000's. He frowned as the voice picked up in urgency, "Brady."  
He followed the sound to a closet door which was open a crack. Inside there was another door that from what he could see looked like a panic room. The voice was coming from inside.  
He stepped into the small metal lined room and saw a woman with orange hair smiling at him from the other side of a TV screen.  
"Behind you," said the woman, her voice sounding like the one that he had followed.  
He turned just in time to see the panic room door slide shut. He slammed against the door but it wouldn't give.

Nicole smiled from her spot in the attic. She had hoped to never have to use her top of the line security system but she was glad for it now. Those that had installed it told her it was crazy to have so many panic rooms but she knew that she wouldn't always be able to get to the closest one in certain situations. Now it seemed her need for multiples had paid off.  
Her smile dropped as she checked each of the TV screens and realized one of the men was missing. She flipped to the outside cameras, catching sight of last man as he ran through the woods after Constance. "What is she doing?"  
Outside she heard the sound of police sirens and hurried out of the panic room and down the attic stairs as the police cars stopped in front of her home.   
Amanda and Brady met her out on the front porch. She was holding her son close as the police hurried over as she asked, "Where's Constance?"  
Nicole looked worried as she replied, "She's not here. I saw her leading one of the mobsters back into the woods."  
As the police asked them what had happened they hurriedly related to them about the mobsters and where they were trapped at the moment. As the man called for back-up they told him about Constance and how she wasn't back yet.  
"Please find her first, she wasn't supposed to be out there but there was one more man than we thought."  
"We'll get her," said the main officer as he ordered his men in the woods. As back-up arrived he had them go into the house to retrieve the other two mob members.

In the woods the mobster felt his lungs burn with each breath as he chased the red haired nymph through the woods. As the muscles in his stomach started to ache with a cramp he wondered if the girl was really worth going after. Maybe he should just stop and let her come to him.  
"Come on, we're almost there!" she called back to him as she paused for a moment to check he was still following.   
He groaned as he gripped his side and stumbled after her.  
"There's the clearing up ahead. He'll be there."  
He saw her go through a pair of thickly leaved trees and rushed through, skidding to a stop just before going over the edge of a cliff. A stone tumbled away from his foot and fell down the side, falling a long distance before it hit a grouping of sharp rocks on which salty ocean water splashed.  
"Some clearing," snorted the mobster. He turned around and scanned the line of trees, not seeing the girl. He turned and looked back down at the water not seeing any sign of a body. "Where'd she go?"  
"Right here, bub!"  
He turned just in time to see her swing a big stick at his face. It hit him squarely in the nose and he instantly saw stars. He stumbled back as blood dripped from his broken nose. His left foot went back, finding only air and he cried out as he grasped at the space in front of him before falling back over the cliff's edge. He was gone.  
Constance did a quick peak over the edge to make sure he hadn't grabbed onto a rock outcropping or branch then tossed her weapon over the side and headed back to the house. She met the cops half way back who asked if she was okay and where the mobster had gone. After assuring them she was fine she directed them to the man's whereabouts then continued on her way back to the home.  
Brady saw her first and cried out in joy as he ran towards her. Amanda heard him and turned just as Brady knocked the young girl to the ground in a hug. She and Nicole joined the pile, not bothering to help them up as the piled onto the two on the ground.  
Constance coughed as she laughed and said with a strained voice, "Get off me guys. You're going to suffocate me."  
"Amanda."  
The woman looked up from the hug, her expression showing surprise as she watched Greg Thompson run towards them. She rose as the rest of he group got up behind her.  
"What are you doing here?" she asked as he wrapped her in a hug.  
"A friend of mine told me he heard police say they had been called here. When I heard them mention Giovanni I raced over here." He pulled away from the hug as he inspected her. "Are you okay?" He looked over at the rest of the group. "Is anyone hurt?"  
Amanda smiled as she hugged him again. "No. We're all fine. Especially now that you are here."  
Greg smiled as he hugged her back.  
Constance grinned as she elbowed Brady as he stood beside her. As she watched the two adults embrace she whispered to the boy, "Looks like you're going to have a new daddy."  
A smile broke out on his face as he looked at her, "Aw man, I was hoping you would be my new dad."  
Constance shoved him as the two laughed. "Ew, no."

  

Dinner that night was happy as the group sat in the restaurant off a nearby hotel. The police had designated Nicole's home a crime scene and they had been made to spend the night at a local hotel.  
Greg joined them for their meal but said at the end he had to get back to his hotel two towns over, "One of us has to be there if we want to keep this contract."  
Amanda kissed him on the cheek in thanks then walked him out. A few minutes she returned to the hotel room where she was met with a chorus of "Ooohs."  
"Is he a better kisser than Billy?" asked Constance.  
"Would you say his lips are wet or dry?" added Brady.  
"On a scale of one to ten how would you rate his tongue play?" inquired Nicole.   
"Not you too," said Amanda with a groan. She joined them on the bed where they were all seated.  
As they happily chatted about he days events the conversation soon ended. In the lull Brady asked something that had been bothering him for awhile, "Do you think we can send Constance back to your time? If the reason she disappeared was because of the storm brining her to the future if we send her back you guys will never have lost her."  
"If that happens you might not be born," replied Amanda.  
The boy frowned. "Oh right."  
"It probably wouldn't work anyway," added Constance. "It's a big fluke I got here anyway."  
"At least we know what happened to you twenty years ago," stated Brady with a happy smile. "You came here."  
The girls didn't share his smile as they looked down sadly.   
"What's with the faces?" asked Constance as she perked up. "I'm here now, that's all that matters."  
"We should show them," said Amanda to Nicole.  
The other woman shook her head adamantly as she insisted, "No. We can't."  
"She needs to know. It's time."  
Nicole sighed. "Fine. I have it with me."  
They watched her as she walked over to her bags and pulled out an old brown scrapbook that looked like it had been through a lot with stains like tears on its binding. She rejoined the group on the bed, sitting in the middle as she explained what the book was, "This is the scrapbook Amanda and I made after you disappeared Constance."  
Constance noted the pain in her friend's faces as she asked, "What's wrong? I didn't really disappear, I just came here." She looked at Brady who nodded.  
Nicole opened the book in answer. The first page had a newspaper clipping about the day Constance had disappeared. She turned the page. The next few clippings were about the extensive searches that had been held to find her. Images of long lines of people searching the woods were displayed on the pages.  
Constance felt a lump form in her throat at the sight of pictures of her father holding her crying mother. More photos showed worried friends and family as the searches continued and people were interviewed. An actual missing sign was taped onto the next picture, an image of her smiling face staring back at her in black and white.   
"That's a horrible picture of me," she said, trying to break the sad mood. No one took the bait. Even Brady didn't look happy as he stared at the pages. She quieted.  
Constance felt her chest tighten at the sight of the next page. The title of the clipping read "Hope Body Found." The article read on about how the body had been found three weeks later, buried in the local park where her and the girls had used to frequent. It had been a large park and had taken several sweeps before the cadaver dogs had caught her scent. The coroner reported that she had been killed the day she had disappeared. There had been no chance of them finding her alive. An article dated years later spoke of how even then the killer had never been found--her case had gone cold.  
"Why--why didn't you tell me?" asked Brady, his voice breaking. "You always told me she disappeared as if she might just one day walk back into our lives."  
"We had trouble admitting it," replied Amanda, "as if doing so would make it real. The lie was easier to tell and after awhile we almost believed it ourselves."  
"If she's dead," asked Brady as he looked at Constance who had remained quiet, "How did she get here? If it wasn't time travel and she's not a ghost then what is she?"  
Nicole swallowed, her voice breaking as she replied, "I don't know. Some things in life just can't be explained. But as long as she's here we'd like it if you stayed here."   
Amanda nodded as the two women stared at their friend.  
The young girl finally raised her eyes from the page as she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, "They never caught the guy?"  
Nicole shook her head. "I tried to find him with my powers--for years I've tried--but I could never get anything. I really wish we could have avenged you but I don't think we ever will."  
Constance smile reassuringly as she took her friend's hands in her own. "I know you guys did your best. We always gave each other a hundred and fifty percent."  
Nicole's smile was water as she brushed back a strand of hair from Constance's forehead. "Will you stay with us? I don't think we can get back to our childhood but if you are okay with it, we'd like you to stay with us now in this time."  
Amanda nodded as she placed her hand on Constance's knee, "And we promise not to break apart like we did before if you disappear again. You've helped us finally realize we're stronger than we thought."  
Constance pulled them into a hug as she laughed. "Like I have anywhere else to go."

  

The next morning Brady woke in the hotel room. As he stretched he glanced over at the twin bed beside him. He was startled fully awake when he saw it was empty.   
"Constance?" He leapt out of bed as he hurried around the room. He stopped his search when he noticed the brown scrapbook was opened on the girl's bed. It was open to an image of her gravestone.   
Pulling on his shoes, he hurried out of the room. The graveyard was located in the center of town. Down a row of grey stone slabs he found the red haired girl knelt in front of her gravestone.  
She didn't turn to look at him as he knelt beside her. "Do you think if they dug it up I'd be in there?"  
Brady looked at the stone. Under her name and the dates of her life was etched a epitaph, "May Heaven appreciate this angel which was taken from us far too early."  
Constance etched the words with her fingers, her voice choked as tears ran over her smile, "Such a ridiculous thing to say. I was no angel. If anything it should have said something like, "Only understood by a few, the rest she annoyed." That would have been truer."  
Brady reached out and took her hand, pulling it towards him as he clutched it over his chest. "You didn't seem as surprised last night when Nicole and my mom told you that you'd been killed."  
Constance stared at a vase of flowers at the next stone, "They said I disappeared, I thought that's what they believed. I didn't realize they'd found my body."  
Brady suddenly felt cold even though the morning was warm. He almost didn't want to say it, too afraid of the answer. "You knew you were dead?"  
She looked at him and he saw her eyes were red with tears. "After the tree was struck by lightning I took shelter in a nearby tool shed near the park. I was too scared by the thunder to continue so I thought I'd wait in there till it died down. Before it did the door to my shelter blew open. In the doorway was a large shadow." She looked away again. "That's really the last thing I remember seeing. But I know I died."  
Brady's heart ached inside his chest as he held her hand closer. "Why didn't you say anything?"  
"If they'd just thought that I'd disappeared I thought it would hurt them less. I didn't want them to know the truth about what happened. How I...How I..." her voice broke and she was unable to continue as she leaned forward to sob into her knees.  
The young boy leaned over her as he wrapped his arms around her. "If you don't want them to know you remember we can just keep it between us. It's over now."  
She rose as she put her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. After crying for a few moments she let go and wiped at her eyes. She nodded as she told him, "I'd rather they didn't know. It would just hurt them more."   
Brady lifted her chin with his finger, "You don't have to be strong for me. If you think you have to be the invincible Constance for them just know you don't have to be that for me. For me you can be the girl who is afraid of thunder,"  
Constance smiled slightly as she looked down with a redness to her cheeks. "Are you sure it wouldn't be weird for you to act as a protector for your aunt?"  
Brady lifted her face again as he stared into her eyes and said with a determined insistence, "You're not my aunt."  
And there in front of her old life, Constance started her new life with a kiss.

  

Constance hurried down the metal stairs and slid to a stop inside the kitchen.  
"You excited about your first day of school?" asked Nicole with a laugh.  
Constance nodded her head like a bobble head. "I can't wait. High school is going to be awesome."  
"Good luck," said Amanda as she came into the room. "I hear academic wise its a lot tougher than when Nicole and I went to school."  
"Oh I'll be fine," replied Constance as Brady came into the room. She grabbed onto him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder as she declared, "I've got my favorite nephew Brady here to help me with any new fangled stuff."  
Brady turned pink as he pulled away. "I told you I'm not your nephew."  
Constance puffed out her cheeks. "It's not fair. You let Nicole be your aunt but not me. What am I supposed to be to you?"  
Brady turned red as he started to tell her then stopped when he spotted his mom watching him. He turned away as Nicole laughed.  
The psychic handed them their lunches as she told them, "Have fun and be safe."  
The school bus pulling up to the gate appeared on the security monitors.  
"And don't cause any trouble, "Amanda added as the teens ran to the front doors.   
"I'll make sure he stays out of trouble," said Constance as she wrapped her arm around Brady as he opened the front door. "No need to worry."  
"It's not him she was talking about," said Nicole as the door closed behind the pair.  
"Did you ever imagine that we would end up being the guardians of our best friend?" asked Amanda as she joined her friend at the kitchen table.  
Nicole shook her head. "Not in my wildest imagination."

Outside Brady pushed Constance's arm off him as he snapped, "Why are you still acting this way? You know how I feel about you calling yourself my aunt. You know how I feel about you."  
The girl leaned forward and quickly kissed him on the lips. He looked stunned as she grinned. "I know. But I thought it would be best if they didn't know, "she motioned with her head back to the house, "It'll be our little secret."  
Brady's stunned expression changed to a smile as she took his hand in hers and they started walking to the bus together. As they walked onto the bus Constance stopped at the front as she called to the passengers, "Hey all, I'm Constance Hope and this is my nephew Brady Adams, none of you better touch him."  
As the bus drove away from the home inside Brady groaned as he cried, "I'm not your nephew!"


End file.
